The Powerpuff Girls (1998 TV series)
The Powerpuff Girls is a cartoon that was on Cartoon Network from November 13, 1998 to March 25, 2005. It is produced by Hanna Barbera Cartoons and Cartoon Network Studios. Premise The show revolves around the adventures of three girls with superpowers: Blossom (pink), Bubbles (blue), and Buttercup (green). The plot of an episode is usually some humorous variation of standard superhero and tokusatsushows, with the girls using their powers to defend their town from villains and giant monsters. In addition, the girls have to deal with the normal issues that young children face, such as sibling rivalries, loose teeth, personal hygiene, going to school, bed wetting, or dependence on a security blanket. Episodes often contain hidden references to older pop culture (especially noticeable in the episode "Meet the Beat Alls," which is an homage to the Beatles). The cartoon always tries to keep different ideas within each episode with some small tributes and parodies thrown in."Power Hungry"- Entertainment Weekly http://www.ew.com/article/2001/02/08/powerpuff-girls-plan-beatles-homage The show is set mainly in the city of Townsville, USA. Townsville is depicted as a major American city, with a cityscape consisting of several major skyscrapers. In his review of The Powerpuff Girls Movie, movie critic Bob Longino of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution said, "the intricate drawings emanate 1950s futuristic pizzazz like a David Hockneyscenescape," and that the show is "one of the few American creations that is both gleeful pop culture and exquisite high art." "The Powerpuff Girls Movie review" http://mo.accessatlanta.com/movies/content/shared/movies/reviews/P/thepowerpuffgirlsmovie.html As depicted in the opening sequence of each episode, the Powerpuff Girls were created by Professor Utonium in an attempt to create the "perfect little girl" using a mixture of "sugar, spice, and everything nice" (shown in respective fields of light blue, light green, and pink). However, he accidentally spilled a mysterious substance called "Chemical X" into the mixture, creating, instead of the "perfect little girl", three girls (each possessing one of the above elements dominating her personality), and granting all three superpowers including flight, super strength, super speed, near invulnerability, x-ray vision, super senses, heat vision, energy projection, invisibility, and control over lightning. In the original pilot, the accidental substance was a can of "Whoopass", which was replaced by "Chemical X" in the aired version.DeMott, Rick (October 2000). "The Powerpuff Girls' Phenomenal Merchandising Mantra". Animation World Magazine. Animation World Network (5.7). Retrieved May 26, 2011 The three girls all have oval-shaped heads, abnormally large eyes (inspired by Margaret Keane's art"interview with Craig McCracken"-''The Critical Eye'' http://5x5media.com/eye/inte/cmccracken.php), stubby arms and legs, and lack noses, ears, fingers, necks, and flat feet with toes (McCracken preferred them to look more symbolic of actual girls rather than going for a "realistic" look, meaning fewer body parts were needed"Beyond Good and Evil"- LA Weekly http://www.laweekly.com/news/beyond-good-and-evil-2132718). They wear dresses that match the colors of their eyes with black stripes, as well as white tights and black Mary Janes. The closing theme to the cartoon offers a nutshell description of the three Powerpuff Girls' personalities: Blossom, commander and the leader. Bubbles, she is the joy and the laughter. Buttercup, she is the toughest fighter. Reception In a 2000 Entertainment Weekly review, Marc Bernadin complimented the show on its "spot-on pop-culture acumen" and "unparalleled sense of fun", giving it a warm welcome from earlier "lame" superhero cartoons that he grew up with. Peter Marks of The New York Times noted the show's use of adult humor and pop culture references, declaring it "the sort of playful satire that can appeal as much to a viewer of 37 as 7."Joly Herman of Common Sense Media describes the show as a "cute, highly stylized series thrills the senses with its strange characters, funny situations, and lots of lowbrow humor". She goes on to say, however, that the show does go from innocent to violent in no time and that there is not much protecting young viewers against the violent undertones. Robert Lloyd of the LA Times said that the series might be "transgressive" based on the violence but "also cute". TV Guide chose the Powerpuff Girls as No. 13 in a list of the 50 Greatest cartoon characters of all time. IGN ranked the series 18th in its Top 25 Primetime Animated Series of All Time list in 2006. Delta Express promoted the series by having a Boeing 737-200 jet painted with a special livery featuring the characters Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup on the exterior. The plane's inaugural flight was held at Logan International Airport in Boston, Massachusetts, on July 17, 2000. In 2002 the aircraft was repainted with a different Powerpuff Girls theme to promote The Powerpuff Girls Movie. The Powerpuff Girls series has won two Primetime Emmys, two Annie Awards, and including those four wins, has been nominated a total of sixteen times for various awards. List of The Powerpuff Girls episodes Sources Category:Pages that Need to Be Edited Category:Cartoon Network Category:Shows that originally aired on Cartoon Network Category:Cartoon Cartoons Category:Animation Category:Comedy Category:Kids' WB Category:Boomerang From Cartoon Network Category:Boomerang Category:Hanna-Barbera Category:Cartoon Network studios Category:Shows that are on dots big bounce Category:Cityfamily Category:MTV2 Category:Nickelodeon Category:FOX Category:NatureRules1